Hydrogen injection into diesel engines for fuel efficiency improvement

Young, Jacob (2008) Hydrogen injection into diesel engines for fuel efficiency improvement. Masters by Coursework thesis, Murdoch University.

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Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether hydrogen injected into a diesel internal combustion engine has the potential to reduce overall fuel consumption. The most economical means of performing the required tasks was used whenever possible in an attempt to mimic a small off-grid application. The genset was a small 4kW compression ignition diesel. The electrolyzer was an off-the-shelf model designed for automotive applications. It combines hydrogen and oxygen output and is currently found from many manufacturers over the internet. It was found that the H2/02 mixture actually did help conserve fuel by about 18% in a low load case but generally, savings were under 5%. At a higher proportion of generator rated load, fuel consumption was shown to increase with H2/02 injection by up to 5%, thus the H2/02 output must be optimized to achieve any savings. Reasons for this phenomenon are discussed and recommendations for further research are included.